


Exhale.

by MintIceTea



Category: Tiger & Bunny
Genre: (no more than what is shown in canon), Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Gen, Parent-Child Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-30
Updated: 2017-11-30
Packaged: 2019-02-08 23:55:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12875754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MintIceTea/pseuds/MintIceTea
Summary: Having something to look forward to makes a difference.





	Exhale.

In his life, few days are the same as the last. So, routines are very important.

The traditional deep inhale, and extra long exhale that occurs before opening the door to his home. Almost religious, no, maybe, closer to a superstition.

Like holding your breath while making a wish.

A wish that maybe, just maybe, his mother would remember him. Or alternatively, that she assumes he is no more than her caretaker.

Or maybe his wish was that he could be content with whatever he would find.

There were no good days. There were days when he could proudly say his patience encompassed her tears, her screams, and her violence.

It wasn’t her fault he was a mistake.

_Mistake, failure, imperfect._

Exhale. He opens the door, steps in. It closes with a click that signals he is no longer Justice Petrov. But who he is supposed to be, he isn’t yet sure.

Rounding the corner, he sees her in her chair by the window. Inhale.

“Ah! Mr. Yuri!”

Oh, he is her caretaker today. Not her son. He stops, tempted to argue, to demand she see _him._ But-

He’s tired, he’s stressed, he doesn’t want to argue tonight.

Exhale.

“Mrs. Petrov, how was your day?”

“I read for a bit, that mystery series you recommended yesterday?” Three months ago. “Oh! And that sweet little girl came by and brought cookies. She asked that I give some to my son, did I mention that his name is Yuri as well?, but he never comes to visit, he’s a rather selfish boy. You can take some home with you, dear.”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

She remains in a good mood throughout dinner. He’s torn. It’s never an enjoyable for her to pile guilt upon him. When he assumes the role of her caretaker and not her son, her mood is at least brighter.

Even as she complains about her horrid, self-centered son to him.

He loses his appetite rather quickly.

* * *

His stomach growls as midnight approaches. Eyes blurring in the blue light of his screen, he reclines back in his chair. Back complaining from sitting so long, he makes his way to the kitchen. Near silent in the dark, not that his mother would hear him.

Ha. Still sneaking through the house like a teenager. His chest clenches.

Breathe in.

Exhale.

The kettle is placed on the stove in habitual absentmindedness. As he waits for the water to boil, he investigates the container his mother told him about.  A quick smile tugs at his lips. The neighbor, Estelle, he thinks her name is, has made this type of butter cookie before.

He’s inordinately fond of them. He’s attempted to copy the recipe.

That was a disappointing failure.

With his hours he has never met either of his next-door neighbors face to face. While mother refers to Estelle as a little girl, Yuri recalls seeing an older woman enter next door.

It doesn’t matter, whatever her age, she bakes like an angel.

It started with Christmas cookies. A stray comment by his mother about his sweet tooth ensures a steady supply of treats year round.

These in particular are a favorite, liberally dusted in sugar, melting on his tongue.

He swallows.

Inhale.

The twitchy feeling in his spine begins to ease.

Exhale.

**Author's Note:**

> Tiger & Bunny is one of those shows that I either never think about, or I’m 10000% in love with. So this is an experiment to test the waters. I have a lot of feeling about Yuri Petrov, and have a lot of ideas that I may get to. Maybe. Eventually.


End file.
